Pilot-coupling



I R. HEIDELBERG.

(No Model.)

. PILOT COUPLING.

Patented June 4, 1895.

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ms PEI'ERS co Pho'Io-u "10., WASHIN 'NITED STATES.

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PILOT-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,591, dated. June4,1 895.

Application filed April 1394-. gerial No.506,459- (No model.)

1'0 06 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL R. HEIDELBERG, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Palestine, in the county of Anderson and State ofTexas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticPilot-Couplin gs; and I do declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

locomotive to be coupled with a car by a brakeman while standing to theside of the locomotive out of the way of all danger, from which positionhe can accurately operate the device, thus doing away with all necessityfor going between the moving engine and the car to which it is to becoupled; and my invention will be hereinafter fully described andclaimed. I

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which the same'numerals ofreference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures, Figure 1is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating my invention andshowing the pilot-bar raised. Fig. 2 illustrates in detail, on anenlarged scale, the coupling-head of the pilot-bar. Fig. 3 is a top planView showing said coupling-head coupled with the draw-head of a car.Figs. 4 and 5 are detail Views.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the front part of the frame of alocomotive,and 2 the pilot. Within the pilot-frame is mounted the inclined cylinder3, which is open at its upper end and closed at its lower end exceptwhere the air-pipe, 4, communicates with it. This air pipe runs alongthe side of the locomotive to the reservoir of the locomotive, and isprovided witha cook or valve, 5, at a point where it can be convenientlyreached by the brake man standing at the side of the engine. Anysuitable form of valve, 5, for turning the air into the air cylinder 3may be employed; and I have shown in the drawings a stop-cock havin g asmall escape-opening 5* arranged so that when the operator is turning onthe air if the pilot bar is'raised too high he can turn the cock enoughto bring this escape opening to register with an escape opening 6 in theside of the chamber of the valve, thus allowing a part of the air in theair-cylinder 3 to escape; and when the pilot bar is thus allowed to dropto the proper level he can shut off the valve entirely by turning itfarther around to close the air-pipe 4.

7indicates the piston-rod, having a pistonhead 8 at its lower end whichfits and travels in the air cylinder, while the upper end of thepiston-rod has a jaw in which is pivoted a grooved roller, 9, thatpresses against the under side of the pilot-bar, 10, as shown, The upperend of the air cylinder is held in position by a support orguide-plate,11, the lower end of which is secured to the upper end of the cylinderwhile its upper end is bolted to a cross-piece on the two front slats ofthe pilot. I do not of course limit myself to this precise means ofattachment of the air cylin der to the pilot frame, as it can bearranged and connected in any suitable manner.

re The plate 10 is in the form of an L, its upper end extending at rightangles, and having a central opening through which the pistonrod works,thus forming a guide for the rod. A spiral spring, 12, encircles thepiston rod between its head and a shouldered stop-plate, 13, resting onthe piston-head and being free to travel up and down with it. The bodyof the stop-plate 13 is formed with a longitudinal slot, a set-screwpassing through said slot into the plate 11, so that the stop-plate canbe adjusted up or down to adj nst the distance which the spring andpiston-head will travel;

thus regulating the height to which the pilot- I bar will be raised.

To the outer end of the iron pilot bar is welded the cast steelcoupling-head 14, which is a coupler of the Janney type, but without anyknuckle,being cast in one piece. An L- shaped lever-bar 15, is pivotedat its angle in the rear part of the coupling-head, playing in a lateralspace, 16;fo1med in the head. 17 indicates a friction clutch or platewhich is pivoted near its outer end in an opening or slot 18 in the head14, at the point shown, a coiled spring 19 being arranged between theinner part of this friction plate and the end of the shorter arm of thelever-bar 15. The usual horizontal slot, 20, is formed in the outer endof the coupling-head to allow it to couple with a car having theordinary link-and-pin coupling, when necessary. When the couplinghead,21, of a car engages on an exact level with the coupling-head of thepilot-bar, itwill press against the pivoted friction plate 17 and,through spring 19, hold the outer end of L-shaped lever 15 in theend-slot 20 at its end, thus preventing the two coupling-heads frombecoming uncoupled by slipping up or down; as the pilotbar beingsupported only by the air pressure in cylinder 3 would otherwise belikely to become detached from the car-coupling while shifting cars.When the coupling is not made on exactly the same plane, so that theouter end of lever 15 does not enter the central slot 20 in the end ofthe car draw-head, the point of the car couplinghead will then pressback the long arm of lever 15 into recess 16, thus through spring 19forcing out the friction-plate 17 tightly against the carcoupling-head,and thus automatically holding the end of the pilot-barfrom dropping or becoming detached.

The pilot-bar normally lies down along the inclined front of the pilot,with the pistonhead at the lower end of the air-cylinder. As thelocomotive approaches the car to which it is desired to couple, thebrakeman walking at the side of the engine turns the valve 5, admittingthe air into thelower end of the cylinder, which slides up thepiston-head, and the piston-rod thus raises the pilot-bar into ahorizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1. It will be seen that by turningthe valve as before described, that the pilot-bar can be adjusted orraised to the exact level desired, thus enabling the brakeman toaccurately couple the pilot-bar with cars the draw-heads of which standat different heights; while my coupling-head will securely hold theouter end of the pilot-bar in engagement with the draw-head with whichit had once coupled as above described.

This invention can be operated either by compressed air, steam, orwater, from the boiler tank or reservoir.

While I have thus far illustrated and described the preferredconstruction in the embodiment of my invention, it will be understoodthat I do not limit myself to the precise details of construction andarrangement set forth, as it is evident that these can be varied fromand substantially the same results accomplished without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patout, is-

1. The combination with the frame of alocomotive, of the pilot barmounted thereon and having at its outer end the coupling head 14, formedwith the recess 16 and opening 18, the pivoted L-shaped lever 15, thepivoted friction-plate 17, and the coiled spring 19 arranged asspecified, the piston rod bearing against the under side of the pilotbar, and means for actuating it from the locomotive; substantially asset forth.

2. The combination with the frame of a locomotive and pilot, of the drawbar mounted on the frame above the pilot and having a coupling head atits outer end, the cylinder arranged within the pilot, a pipe leadingfrom the locomotive to the lower end of said cylinder and having acontrolling valve, the piston rod contacting at its upper end with thedraw-bar, passing through a guide, and having the piston-head at itslower end, the ad justable stop'plate, and the coiled spring encirclingthe piston-rod between its head and said adjustable plate; substantiallyas set forth.

3. The coupling head cast in a single piece and formed with the recess16 and opening 18, the pivoted-L-shaped lever 15, the pivotedfriction-plate 17, and the coiled spring arranged as specified;substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL R. IIEIDELBERG.

Witnesses:

B. H. GARDNER, A. W. GREGG.

